Methods, systems, and media for generating sentimental information associated with media content

ABSTRACT

In accordance with some embodiments, a method for generating sentimental information associated with media content is provided, the method comprising: receiving user input data corresponding to a user; identifying a portion of the media content item based on the user input data; determining a sentiment based on the user input data, wherein the sentiment is one of a positive sentiment which indicates that the media content item was liked by the user or a negative sentiment which indicates that the media content item was disliked by the user; determining an amount of the sentiment based on the user input data; associating the amount of the sentiment with the portion of the media content item; and generating, for the media content item, sentimental information that indicates the amount of the sentiment associated with at least one portion of the media content item.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/216,591, filed Mar. 17, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/205,240, filed Aug. 8, 2011, each of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The Internet provides access to a wide variety of content. For instance,media such as images, audio, video, and web pages for a myriad ofdifferent topics are accessible through the Internet. Users can accessthis media through various devices. For example, a user can use handheld devices such as cell phones to access and play media. Viewers ofmedia can also create data that is associated with the media. Ranking,liking, or publishing the viewing of the media to a social networkingsite are exemplary ways users can create data associated with media.This data, however, is typically related to the entire piece of media,and not to particular portions of the media or with characters/objectspresent in the media.

SUMMARY

In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in methods for receiving user input datathat includes a sentimental identifier and an indication of at least oneof an amount of pressure and an amount of time used to select asentimental input. The user input data is associated with media, and theassociated media includes a plurality of objects. For each user inputdata, the user input data is associated with a portion of the associatedmedia. The user input data is aggregated based upon the portion of theassociated media. An average sentiment value is determined based uponthe sentimental identifier and the indication of at least one of theamount of pressure and the amount of time used to select a sentimentalinput for at least one of the displayed objects. Other implementationsof this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatuses, andcomputer-readable media, configured to perform the actions of themethod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matterdescribed in this specification are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter will become apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and the claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment in which dataassociated with media can be created, stored, and used in accordancewith an illustrative implementation.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a device that can play media and recordsentimental information in accordance with an illustrativeimplementation.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of a first device that can play media and asecond device that can record sentimental information in accordance withan illustrative implementation.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for recording sentimentalinformation in accordance with an illustrative implementation.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a process that associates sentimentalinformation with a displayed object associated with media in accordancewith an illustrative implementation.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary report illustrating positive and negativesentiments of multiple users associated with media in accordance with anillustrative implementation.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer system in accordance with anillustrative implementation.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Viewers of media can provide input based upon how much they dislike/likea particular portion of the media. Examples of media include, but arenot limited to, streaming audio, streaming video, audio files, and videofiles. The input can be associated with a particular object or characterwithin the portion of the media. Once sentimental information has beencollected, a user can dynamically create a list of their most liked,funniest, scariest, most disliked, etc., media clips. In addition,reports can be generated using sentimental information from multipleusers to determine how well an object, character, or media is received.

As used throughout this document, a sentimental input is a componentthat allows a user to record a sentiment. The sentimental input isassociated with one or more sentiments. The sentimental input may allowa user to specify a sentimental amount. For example, the sentimentalamount may allow a user to specify that they thought a portion of mediawas just okay, that they liked it, or that they loved it. Thesentimental amount indicates the level of sentiment. A sentimentalidentification is used to distinguish between the various possiblesentiments, such as, positive, negative, funny, scary, etc. Sentimentalinformation is a collection of data that is associated with a particularrecording of a user's sentiment. It can include various data, such as,but not limited to, the sentimental amount, sentimental identification,media identification, start time of user input, end time of user input,location within the media associated with the user's input, demographicdata, etc.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment in which dataassociated with media can be created, stored, and used in accordancewith an illustrative implementation. The example environment 100includes a network 102, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), the Internet, or a combination thereof. The network 102connects media servers 104, media players 108, sentimental input modules110, and sentiment servers 106. The example environment 100 may includemany thousands of media servers 104, media players 108, sentimentservers 106, and sentimental input modules 110.

The media servers 104 provide media players 108 access to media. Mediacan include, but are not limited to, music files, videos, movies, etc.Media can be rendered on a media player. Media can be stored in mediafiles on the media servers 104 or another device (not illustrated) thatis accessible by a media server. Media and media files are accessibleover the network 102 using various protocols known to those of skill inthe art, such as, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Peer-to-Peer (P2P)protocols, etc.

Media players 108 can render the media for viewing/listening. A user canindicate how much they liked or disliked a particular media, a part ofthe media, or an object within the media using a sentimental inputmodule 110. A portion of the media can refer to the entire media, aparticular time or period in the media, displayed objects within avideo, or audible objects within audio media. Displayed objects in avideo can include displayed objects in a video such as a character, aprop, an audible portion, such as a narrator, or any other item that isvisually or audibly present in a particular video. An object in an audiofile can include audible objects such as an instrument, singer,narrator, etc. In one implementation, a sentimental input module 110 isintegrated into a media player 108. In another implementation, thesentimental input module 110 is integrated into a second device that isdistinct from the media player 108. For example, the sentimental inputmodule 110 can be integrated into a cell phone, notebook, table,personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. Input from a user can betransmitted to one or more sentiment servers 106. In one implementationthe functionality of a media server 104 and the functionality of asentiment server 106 can be integrated into a single server. Thesentiment servers 106 can store the received input in storage 112.Storage 112 can be any storage known to those of skill in the art, suchas, a database, a hard drive, a remote data store, etc. As described ingreater detail below, the stored user input can be used for a variety ofpurposes.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a device that can play media and recordsentimental information in accordance with an illustrativeimplementation. Media can be retrieved or streamed from one or moremedia servers 104. In one implementation, a media player has a screen todisplay video media. The device 200 can play a video in a viewingportion 206 of the screen. Information associated with the media can bedisplayed in an information portion 202 of the screen. Information canbe contained within the media itself, stored separately from the media,or may be retrieved from a remote device, such as a media server 104. Asentimental portion 204 of the screen can be used to collect input suchas sentimental values from a user.

A positive sentimental input 210, indicated by the positive label 214,can record how much a particular portion of a particular media wasliked. Similarly a negative sentimental input 212, indicated by thenegative label 216, can record how much a particular portion of themedia was disliked. Other labels can be used such as thumbs up andthumbs down icons, other wording, etc. The input buttons 210, 212 can beconfigured to receive user inputs and device 200 can, in response,generate and send messages comprising data representative of thesentimental input, for example the like/dislike aspect and optionally aquantity of like/dislike. In one implementation, the sentimental portion204 of the screen includes a touch screen. The touch screen can becapable of capturing the pressure used to select a sentimental input.The pressure used to select a particular sentimental input cancorrespond to an amount that a particular portion of the media wasliked/disliked. For example, a user can slightly press the negativesentimental input 212 during a scene in a movie that the user slightlydisliked. In another scene of the movie, that the user loves, thepositive sentimental input 210 can be pressed using a larger amount ofpressure. In one implementation, the amount of pressure used to pressany particular sentimental input is detected by the touch screen,recorded, and can be visualized. For example, as the amount of pressureincreases the number of rings highlighted can be increased. In additionor alternatively, the labels 214 and 216 may also change based upon theamount of pressure. For example, the positive label 214 may change from“Like it,” “Love it,” and “LOVE IT!” based upon the amount of pressureassociated with the positive sentiment input 210. The media player 220can transmit the sentimental information to a sentimental server 106using, for example, the network 102.

In another implementation, the sentimental portion 204 of the screen isdivided into two or more portions, with each portion corresponding to asentiment. In one implementation, the sentimental portion 204 is dividedinto a positive portion and a negative portion. As the user presses onthe positive portion the background color of the positive portion maychange colors. Similarly, the background color of the negative portioncan also change colors based upon the amount of pressure applied to thenegative portion. The colors used in the background can be associatedwith a particular sentiment. For example, green, blue, and purple can beassociated with a positive sentiment and yellow, orange, and red can beassociated with a negative sentiment.

Sentimental inputs can also be used to capture information regardingsentiments other than positive or negative. For example, how scary orgross portions of a particular media are can be captured and recorded.Any number of sentimental inputs can be combined to capture the desiredsentiments. In one implementation, a neutral sentiment can be assumedwhen none of the possible sentimental inputs is pressed.

In yet another example, a single sentimental portion 204 is provided andgestures are used to determine the sentimental identification, such aspositive or negative. In one implementation, a positive sentiment can berecorded by pressing on the sentimental portion 204 and moving to theleft, and a negative sentiment can be recorded by pressing on thesentimental portion 204 and moving to the right. Of course, othergestures are possible and gestures can also be mapped to othersentiments.

In other implementations, the sentimental amount can be based uponsomething other than the amount of pressure applied to a sentimentalinput. For example, the amount of time a particular sentimental input ispressed is used to indicate how much a user liked/disliked a portion ofmedia. In another implementation, dials or sliders can be used toindicate an amount of sentiment.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of a first device that can play media and asecond device that can record sentimental information in accordance withan illustrative implementation. In this implementation, a media player220 is a separate device from a device 230 that contains the sentimentalinput module. For example, media player 220 can be a television,notebook, tablet, pad, etc. capable of playing a media signal. The mediaplayer 220 includes the viewing portion 206 of the screen and can alsoinclude the information portion 202. In some implementations, theinformation portion 202 is not shown. The device 230 is used to capturesentimental input in a similar manner compared to device 200 describedabove. In one implementation, the media player 220 can communicate withthe device 230 over a network, such as network 102, or through apersonal area network. In one implementation, the device 230 cancommunicate the sentimental information to the media player 220, whichcan then transmit the sentimental information to a sentimental server106. In another implementation, the device 230 can communicate thesentimental information to a sentimental server 106.

The device 230 can also include an information portion 232 fordisplaying information associated with the media. A feedback portion 234of the device 230 can be used for displaying information regardingrecorded sentimental information. For example, the feedback portion 234can provide a user with a history of their sentimental information for aparticular media. The device 230 can also receive sentimentalinformation from other users and display an average sentimental value.In one implementation, the sentimental information is associated with alive broadcast of media, such as a live television program, and thedevice 232 receives aggregated sentimental information from other users.This provides a user with live feedback of an average sentimental valuefor the live broadcast. Device 232 can also provide a haptic feedback toa user based upon received sentimental information. For example, when alarge change in a sentimental amount is detected, the device 232 canshake. Haptic feedback can also be provided when a user's friend inputssentimental information.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for recording sentimentalinformation in accordance with an illustrative implementation. Theprocess 300 can be implemented on a media player 108 or part of asentimental input module 110. In one implementation, the process 300 isencoded on a computer-readable medium that contains instructions thatwhen executed by a computing device cause the computing device toperform operations of process 300.

Recording of sentimental input starts when user input is detected (302).In one implementation, user input corresponds to a user pressing asentimental input. When user input is detected, information associatedwith the input can be recorded. For example, information associated withthe input can include the time that the user input is detected, thelocation on the screen associated with the user input, the sentimentalidentification, the amount of pressure applied to a sentimental input,etc. While the user continues to provide input, information associatedwith the input is recorded (304). Eventually, the end of the user inputis detected (306). For example, the end of the user input can beassociated with releasing of a sentimental input or a lack of pressureapplied to a sentimental input. Once the end of the user input isdetected, various sentimental information can be determined based inpart on the recorded information associated with the user input. Forexample, the amount of pressure applied to a sentimental input can beused to calculate an amount of sentiment (308). The sentimental amountcan be calculated in various ways, such as, by calculating the averagepressure applied or the maximum amount of pressure applied to asentimental input and correlating that with an amount of sentiment. Asentiment identification, such as positive or negative, can also bedetermined (310). For example, the location of the user input, anindication of the sentimental input pressed, or the movement of the userinput can be used to determine the sentimental value associated with theuser input. After these values are calculated, sentimental informationcan be sent to one or more sentimental servers (312). In oneimplementation, the sentimental identification, amount of sentiment,media identification information, and user identification informationcan be sent to a sentimental server. The user identification data caninclude a unique or semi-unique identifier that can be anonymized and isnot connected with user names. In another implementation, thesentimental information can include portions of the recorded data, suchas movement and location of the user input. In this implementation, thesentimental server can calculate or recalculate the amount of sentimentand the sentiment value.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a process that associates sentimental inputwith a displayed object associated with media in accordance with anillustrative implementation. A server, such as a sentiment server 106receives sentimental information (402). The server can receivesentimental information from numerous users regarding various media. Thesentimental information can include an anonymous user identifier used toassociate the sentimental information with a user. A media identifier,that can be included in the sentimental information, can be used toassociate the sentimental information with a particular media.Sentimental amounts can be associated generally with a media or can beassociated with a particular portion of the media. Data within thesentimental information can be used to associate the sentimentalinformation with a time within the media (404). The data can be any datathat is used to indicate a time or a location within the media, such as,but not limited to, a time or time period within the media, a framenumber, a range of frame numbers, etc. Once a portion of the media hasbeen determined, the objects associated with the particular portion canbe referenced. For video files, the objects can be characters, events,displayed objects, speakers, etc. For audio files, the objects can beinstruments, lyrics, singers, speakers, etc. One or more objects aredetermined to be associated with the sentimental information (406).

In one implementation, the sentimental information is associated with anobject based upon a transcript or closed caption information. In thisimplementation, the time information is used to determine the objectswithin the portion of the media. The object can be a character that isspeaking the most words, a character speaking for the longest amount oftime during the associated time period, the character that utters anexclamation, or music that is playing during the time period. In anotherimplementation, speaker recognition can be used to determine thecharacter that is speaking during a particular clip. The speakerrecognition can be done on a media player or another device, and therecognized speaker can be included in the sentimental information. Inanother implementation, the speaker recognition has been done previouslyat a server such as a sentiment server 106, and the time information canbe used to determine who was speaking the most, longest, and/or loudestduring the time period. This character would then be the associatedobject for the sentimental input. Facial recognition can also be used todetermine the characters that are present in a portion of a video.Movement of a character's mouth can indicate which characters arespeaking at particular portions of videos. The facial recognitioninformation can be determined in a similar manner compared to thespeaker recognition. In one implementation, a media player or anotherdevice and the recognized speaker can be included in the sentimentalinformation. In another implementation, the facial recognition has beendone previously at a server such as a sentiment server 106, and the timeinformation can be used to determine who was speaking the most, longest,and/or loudest during the time period. The perceived location of objectsin portions of media can also be used to associate sentimental inputwith an object. In one implementation, characters or other visualobjects in the foreground of the video can be used to identify an objectassociated with the sentimental input.

The object associated with sentimental input can also be deduced basedupon an aggregation of sentimental information from one or more users.In one implementation, various sentimental information collectedthroughout a particular media or a portion of the media are analyzed todetermine an object that is associated with some or all of the sentimentinformation. For example, a portion of the media where a character saysa particular line or makes an introduction can be analyzed. If thenumber of users that recorded sentimental information during the portionof the media is above a predetermined threshold, the character can bethe object associated with the sentimental information. In addition,multiple portions of the media can be analyzed. For example, portions ofthe media that include a particular character or object can be analyzed.If a user has consistent sentimental information with two or more ofthese portions, the particular character or object can be associatedwith the sentimental information. As an example, if a user inputs anegative sentiment for a majority of portions that include a particularcharacter's entrance or a particular object, that character or objectcan be associated with the user's negative sentiment. In anotherimplementation, the sentimental information from one or more users thatincludes the same sentimental identifier is used to determine the objectassociated with one or more of the sentimental information. For eachsentimental information, the portion of the media associated with thesentimental information is determined. Next, the objects associated withthe portion of the media are determined, and a running counterassociated with each object is incremented. This repeats for eachsentimental information. The object with the highest count is determinedto be the associated object and is associated with each sentimentalinformation associated with a media portion that contains the determinedobject.

Information received from another source can also be used to determinean object associated with user sentiment. For example, assume a livebroadcast of an awards show. During the show multiple sentimentalinformation can be input by users and received by sentiment servers. Thesentimental input can include timing information regarding when in theprogram the sentimental information was recorded. Monitoring searchresults and/or social media sites at a time associated with a broadcastof the awards show, an increase in the usage of a person's name can beused as the object associated with the sentimental information. To limitthe amount of data, filtering can be used. In one example, searchresults or social media data are filtered based upon an identifier ofthe awards show or other media. Such filtering reduces the amount ofdata that is analyzed and also increases accuracy in associating thesentimental input with an object.

In yet another implementation, the location pressed on a media player orother device can be used to associate sentimental information with anobject. In one implementation, a media player or other device with atouch screen is used. Instead of using dedicated sentimental inputs, auser inputs sentimental data by pressing directly on a character orobject. In this embodiment, the character or object is the sentimentalinput. The user can indicate the sentimental identifier through agesture, such as by pressing and moving up for positive or down fornegative. The location where the user pressed the screen can be used todetermine what character or object to associate with the sentimentalinformation. In one implementation, the relative location of the user'sinput on the screen is sent as part of the sentimental information to asentiment server. The sentiment server can determine the closest objectnear the user's input based upon data that describes the location ofcharacters and/or objects within the media.

Once the sentiment servers collect sentimental data, the sentimentaldata can be used in various ways. Generating a report is one example.FIG. 5 is an exemplary report illustrating positive and negativesentiments of multiple users associated with media in accordance with anillustrative implementation. The report 500 includes the averagepositive sentiment 504 and negative sentiment 506 calculated across oneor more users playing the media. The average sentiments 504 and 506 canbe calculated across a single, multiple, or all playings of media. Inaddition, the report can be based upon a single user or can includemultiple users. In one implementation, the users share a common traitsuch as age, geographic location, time of playing, date of playing, etc.The report 500 can include an indication of one or more objectsassociated with portions of the sentiments 504 and 506. Icons 510, 512,514, and 516 can indicate the sentiment is related to a particularcharacter. Selecting an icon, such as by clicking or hovering over anicon, can bring up information associated with the character and theparticular point in the media. In one implementation, selecting an icondisplays a link or directly links to a video clip associated with thesentimental data. For example, clicking on icon 512 can result in beingdirected to a portion in the media immediately prior to the lowsentimental information recording. Icon 518 can indicate that theincrease in user sentiment is associated with something other than acharacter. For example, the icon 518 might indicate that the sentimentalinformation is associated with a happy ending, the resolution of aconflict, etc. The report 500 can also include an average sentimentbased upon the above of two or more provided sentiments.

In another implementation, a report can be generated for a particularcharacter or object within media. For example, a report can indicatewhen a particular character or object was present in media. The averagesentiment for each portion of the media that includes the character orobject can be displayed. Reports can include one or more of allsentimental information associated with the portions of the media,sentimental information associated with the particular character orobject, and the sentimental information that is not associated with theparticular character or object. The peak sentimental amounts can also bepresented in the report. Reports can be generated for one or moreobjects contained within the media. These reports can be compared to oneanother and can provide an indication as to how much a particular objectand/or character is liked/disliked by viewers.

The sentimental information can also be used to create or modify a laughtrack. For example, an initial laugh track can be created for aparticular media. After a predetermined amount of sentimentalinformation is received, the laugh track can be modified based upon thesentimental information. The laugh track can continue to change basedupon received sentimental information. For example, a laugh track can beupdated on a time schedule, based upon the amount of receivedsentimental information, based upon a change in received sentimentalinformation, etc. In one example, the extremely disliked portions ofmedia can be determined. Boos, hissing, or some other negative soundclip can be inserted into the laugh track to correspond with thesentimental information. The laugh track can also be modified toincrease the volume of boos, hissing, etc. at the associated time.Additionally, portions of the video corresponding to peaks of positivesentiment, such as liked or funny portions, can be used to insert orincrease the volume of laughter, applause, etc. The volume and/or amountof laughter, boos, etc. can also be reduced based upon the receivedsentimental input. Media may have one or more laugh tracks. For example,a single laugh track can be used for the media. In anotherimplementation, a laugh track can be generated for a particular user orgroup of users based upon collected sentimental input. In one example, agroup of users that like a particular media will have a laugh track thatincludes more and/or louder applause/laughter compared to a group thatdisliked the particular media. A second laugh track with less and/orquieter applause/laughter can be provided to the group of users thatdisliked the particular media.

Sentimental information can also be used to create a list of media clipsfor one or more users. For example, a list of most liked and mostdisliked video clips can be created for a single user based upon thatuser's sentimental information. In another implementation, the list canbe generated based upon one or more users, such as the sentimental inputof a user's friends. Using the sentimental information, other videoclips can be recommended to a user. As one example, a user's favoritevideo clips are determined and other users that similarly liked one ormore of the video clips are determined. Video clips that are well likedby the other users can be recommended to the user. In anotherimplementation, the characters and/or objects associated with a user'sfunniest video clips can be determined. Other video clips that includethe characters and/or objects can be recommended to the user.

Sentimental information from one or more users can also be provided to auser that is currently playing media. As illustrated in the feedbackportion 234 of the device 230 illustrated in FIG. 2B, a graph of thesentimental information can be provided that corresponds to the mediacurrently being played. Such information can spur a viewer of the mediato provide their own sentimental information.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer system in accordance with anillustrative implementation. The computer system or computing device 600can be used to implement a media player 108, a sentimental input module110, a media server 104, and/or a sentiment server 106. The computingsystem 600 includes a bus 605 or other communication component forcommunicating information and a processor 610 coupled to the bus 605 forprocessing information. The computing system 600 also includes mainmemory 615, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device, coupled to the bus 605 for storing information, andinstructions to be executed by the processor 610. Main memory 615 canalso be used for storing position information, temporary variables, orother intermediate information during execution of instructions by theprocessor 610. The computing system 600 may further include a read onlymemory (ROM) 610 or other static storage device coupled to the bus 605for storing static information and instructions for the processor 610. Astorage device 625, such as a solid state device, magnetic disk oroptical disk, is coupled to the bus 605 for persistently storinginformation and instructions.

The computing system 600 may be coupled via the bus 605 to a display635, such as a liquid crystal display, or active matrix display, fordisplaying information to a user. An input device 630, such as akeyboard including alphanumeric and other keys, may be coupled to thebus 605 for communicating information, and command selections to theprocessor 610. In another implementation, the input device 630 has atouch screen display 635. The input device 630 can include a cursorcontrol, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, forcommunicating direction information and command selections to theprocessor 610 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 635.

According to various implementations, the processes that effectuateillustrative implementations that are described herein can beimplemented by the computing system 600 in response to the processor 610executing an arrangement of instructions contained in main memory 615.Such instructions can be read into main memory 615 from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as the storage device 625. Execution ofthe arrangement of instructions contained in main memory 615 causes thecomputing system 600 to perform the illustrative processes describedherein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement mayalso be employed to execute the instructions contained in main memory615. In alternative implementations, hard-wired circuitry may be used inplace of or in combination with software instructions to implementillustrative implementations. Thus, implementations are not limited toany specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

Although an example computing system has been described in FIG. 6,implementations of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in other types ofdigital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, orhardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification andtheir structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them.

Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described inthis specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on one or more computer storage media forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.Alternatively or in addition, the program instructions can be encoded onan artificially-generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generatedelectrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated toencode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium canbe, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, acomputer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memoryarray or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover,while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computerstorage medium can be a source or destination of computer programinstructions encoded in an artificially-generated propagated signal. Thecomputer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or moreseparate components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, or otherstorage devices). Accordingly, the computer storage medium is bothtangible and non-transitory.

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources.

The term “data processing apparatus” or “computing device” encompassesall kinds of apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data,including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, asystem on a chip, or multiple ones, or combinations, of the foregoingThe apparatus can include special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA(field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specificintegrated circuit). The apparatus can also include, in addition tohardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computerprogram in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, aprotocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, across-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combinationof one or more of them. The apparatus and execution environment canrealize various different computing model infrastructures, such as webservices, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, orother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are locatedat one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks.However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer canbe embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console,a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device(e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few.Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and datainclude all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal harddisks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquidcrystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and akeyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by whichthe user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices canbe used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example,feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input fromthe user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, ortactile input.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures specific to particular implementations of particularinventions. Certain features that are described in this specification inthe context of separate implementations can also be implemented incombination in a single implementation. Conversely, various featuresthat are described in the context of a single implementation can also beimplemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the implementations described above should not beunderstood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemscan generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular implementations of the subject matter have beendescribed. Other implementations are within the scope of the followingclaims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can beperformed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. Inaddition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do notnecessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, toachieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking andparallel processing may be advantageous.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for generating sentimental informationassociated with media content, the method comprising: causing a firstuser interface to be presented on a first user device and on a seconduser device, wherein the first user interface concurrently presents avideo content item in a viewing portion and a plurality of sentimentinput regions that are each associated with a different sentiment forthe presented video content item in a sentiment portion; receiving, fromthe first user device, a first user input that corresponds to a firstsentiment input region selected by a user of the first user device at afirst time point, wherein the first time point is within a period oftime during which the first user interface is presenting the videocontent item on the first user device; receiving, from the second userdevice, a second user input that corresponds to a second sentiment inputregion selected by a user of the second user device at a second timepoint, wherein the second time point is within the period of time duringwhich the first user interface is presenting the video content item onthe second user device; and causing a second user interface to bepresented on a third user device, wherein the second user interfaceconcurrently presents: i) the video content item in a viewing portion ofthe second user interface; ii) sentiment input regions that are eachassociated with a different sentiment for the presented video contentitem in a sentiment portion of the second user interface; and iii) atimeline representation of the video content item including sentimentalinformation that at least indicates the first user input from the firstuser device at the first time point of the video content item and thesecond user input from the second user device at the second time pointof the video content item.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thetimeline representation of the video content item that includessentimental information indicates an average amount of sentimentindicated by a plurality of user devices, wherein the plurality of userdevices includes the first user device and the second user device. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the first sentiment input regioncorresponds to a positive sentiment.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe second sentiment input region corresponds to a negative sentiment.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the timeline representation ispresented in connection with at least one selectable icon, and whereininformation associated with a time point of the video content itemcorresponding to the at least one selectable icon is presented on thethird user device in response to determining that the at least oneselectable icon has been selected.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinselection of a portion of the timeline representation causes playback ofthe video content item to skip to a portion of the video content itemcorresponding to the selected portion of the timeline representation. 7.A system for generating sentimental information associated with mediacontent, the system comprising: a memory; and a hardware processorcoupled to the memory that is configured to: cause a first userinterface to be presented on a first user device and on a second userdevice, wherein the first user interface concurrently presents a videocontent item in a viewing portion and a plurality of sentiment inputregions that are each associated with a different sentiment for thepresented video content item in a sentiment portion; receive, from thefirst user device, a first user input that corresponds to a firstsentiment input region selected by a user of the first user device at afirst time point, wherein the first time point is within a period oftime during which the first user interface is presenting the videocontent item on the first user device; receive, from the second userdevice, a second user input that corresponds to a second sentiment inputregion selected by a user of the second user device at a second timepoint, wherein the second time point is within the period of time duringwhich the first user interface is presenting the video content item onthe second user device; and cause a second user interface to bepresented on a third user device, wherein the second user interfaceconcurrently presents: i) the video content item in a viewing portion ofthe second user interface; ii) sentiment input regions that are eachassociated with a different sentiment for the presented video contentitem in a sentiment portion of the second user interface; and iii) atimeline representation of the video content item including sentimentalinformation that at least indicates the first user input from the firstuser device at the first time point of the video content item and thesecond user input from the second user device at the second time pointof the video content item.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein thetimeline representation of the video content item that includessentimental information indicates an average amount of sentimentindicated by a plurality of user devices, wherein the plurality of userdevices includes the first user device and the second user device. 9.The system of claim 7, wherein the first sentiment input regioncorresponds to a positive sentiment.
 10. The system of claim 7, whereinthe second sentiment input region corresponds to a negative sentiment.11. The system of claim 7, wherein the timeline representation ispresented in connection with at least one selectable icon, and whereininformation associated with a time point of the video content itemcorresponding to the at least one selectable icon is presented on thethird user device in response to determining that the at least oneselectable icon has been selected.
 12. The system of claim 7, whereinselection of a portion of the timeline representation causes playback ofthe video content item to skip to a portion of the video content itemcorresponding to the selected portion of the timeline representation.13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computerexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform a method for generating sentimental informationassociated with media content, the method comprising: causing a firstuser interface to be presented on a first user device and on a seconduser device, wherein the first user interface concurrently presents avideo content item in a viewing portion and a plurality of sentimentinput regions that are each associated with a different sentiment forthe presented video content item in a sentiment portion; receiving, fromthe first user device, a first user input that corresponds to a firstsentiment input region selected by a user of the first user device at afirst time point, wherein the first time point is within a period oftime during which the first user interface is presenting the videocontent item on the first user device; receiving, from the second userdevice, a second user input that corresponds to a second sentiment inputregion selected by a user of the second user device at a second timepoint, wherein the second time point is within the period of time duringwhich the first user interface is presenting the video content item onthe second user device; and causing a second user interface to bepresented on a third user device, wherein the second user interfaceconcurrently presents: i) the video content item in a viewing portion ofthe second user interface; ii) sentiment input regions that are eachassociated with a different sentiment for the presented video contentitem in a sentiment portion of the second user interface; and iii) atimeline representation of the video content item including sentimentalinformation that at least indicates the first user input from the firstuser device at the first time point of the video content item and thesecond user input from the second user device at the second time pointof the video content item.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 13, wherein the timeline representation of the videocontent item that includes sentimental information indicates an averageamount of sentiment indicated by a plurality of user devices, whereinthe plurality of user devices includes the first user device and thesecond user device.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 13, wherein the first sentiment input region corresponds to apositive sentiment.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 13, wherein the second sentiment input region corresponds to anegative sentiment.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 13, wherein the timeline representation is presented in connectionwith at least one selectable icon, and wherein information associatedwith a time point of the video content item corresponding to the atleast one selectable icon is presented on the third user device inresponse to determining that the at least one selectable icon has beenselected.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13,wherein selection of a portion of the timeline representation causesplayback of the video content item to skip to a portion of the videocontent item corresponding to the selected portion of the timelinerepresentation.